LIVERPOOL drugs kingpin Dennis Kelly who was jailed for a plot to bring £83 million worth of cocaine into the UK hidden in cans of asparagus has been told by top judges his appeal against conviction has "no substance".

LIVERPOOL drugs kingpin Dennis Kelly who was jailed for a plot to bring £83 million worth of cocaine into the UK hidden in cans of asparagus has been told by top judges his appeal against conviction has "no substance".

Dennis Patrick Kelly, 63, from south Liverpool, was jailed for 27 years after he was convicted of conspiracy to supply class A drugs at the Liverpool Crown Court in February last year.

Crimelord Kelly masterminded the plan to distribute 375 kilos of 97 per cent pure cocaine before he went on the run to Spain in 2005.

Now senior judges at London's Court of Appeal have rejected an appeal by Kelly against the jury's guilty verdict, declaring it "safe".

Lord Justice Treacy said Kelly was found guilty of heading the UK branch of a Europe-wide drug trafficking ring after planning to bring cocaine into the UK from Holland.

Dutch police arrested men in Amsterdam as they unloaded 1.6 metric tonnes of cocaine shipped from Peru, in 2005. Kelly was arrested that year after he was linked to the massive haul but he fled to Spain before he could be tried.

His son, James, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs in 2007 - on the basis that he had played a subordinate role under his father - and was jailed for 19 years.

Kelly, who had a previous conviction for murder, was arrested in Spain in 2010 and extradited to the UK.

He was convicted with the help of audio tapes which captured drug-related conversations between him and his son, recorded while they travelled in a bugged hire car, the judge added.

On appeal, Kelly's lawyer questioned the trial judge's decision to allow in evidence from a former police officer who appeared as an expert witness, advising on the taped drug chatter.

The appeal judge dismissed this ground, saying: "The evidence the witness was to give was of the type that a suitably experienced officer could give about conspiracy to supply drugs and drug dealing.

"This former officer had very considerable experience, which entitled the Crown to put him forward as an expert. The judge was fully entitled to conclude he could give evidence. It remained open to the defence to challenge his expertise in cross-examination."

Lord Justice Treacy, sitting with Mr Justice Griffith Williams and Sir David Clarke, also rejected a claim the jury had been prejudiced after they heard Kelly was on licence for a previous offence when he fled to Spain.

The appeal judge concluded: "Neither ground of appeal has substance. We do not need to conduct an analysis of the evidence in this case. The two grounds raised do not impugn the safety of the conviction. Accordingly, this appeal is dismissed."